The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-24
AIKEN, S. c., March 8, 1887.

t'iHiSt Nii'hp!aiH W l!lC u ilIeo CsotSS
Senate.
AIKEN, S. c., March 8, 1887.
Mr. Et!Hor: The account in your
paper Of March 1st of the claim of
the late lIr. Rion to Lave been the
son Of Louis XVI and Marie An
tolnette, recalls to my mind the case
Of another claimant, who rested on
far higher evidence. I refer to the
Rev. Eliazer Williams, q clergyman
Of the Protestant Episcopal Church,
and for some years missionary to
the remnant Of the tribe Of Oneida
Indians in Western New York. |
cannot accurately recall the dates of
some Of the events which l am about
to narrate and am. separated from
all the papers and memoranda which
would aid me in the matter. But I
am confident that the principal events
to which I refer fell within the years
1850 and 1852.
My own acquaintance with Mr..
Williams took place in my youth.
l distinctly recall the visits which
Mr.. Williams made to my fathers
house ia Troy, n. Y. My father was
rector Of St. Paul's Church in that
city, and Mr.. Williams visited the
place several times to secure help for
his struggling mission, and on such
occasions he was accustomed 10
spend several days at tie rectory.
My father esteemed him highly as
an eminently humble and holy man,
and was much interested in securing
aid for his mission. The manners of
Mr.. Williams were marked by sim
plicity, dignity and refinement which
seemed remarkable in one who was
<reg egarded-although, as We shall see,
erroneous!y-as a Lalf-blood Indian.
About tie year, think it was
1850 q book appeared in New York
with the title, "Have we a Bourbon
among us?' 1t was written by the
Rev. Mr.. Hanson, assistant minister
Of Calvary Church, the rector of
which was the celebrated and elo.
Guent DR.. Hawks. The Doctor fully
believed that Mr.. Williams was The
Dauphin, and was understood to
have aided and counselled Mr.. Han,
son in the composition of the book
It is bare outline Of the story that
l can give. The alleged facts pre-.
sented in the book were derived
from Mr. Williams himself, after
they had come to his knowledge in
the manner which I shall subsequent.
ly describe.
1t is stated that the Dauphin' s
sister, the Duchess d'Angouleme. Sc.
cured the aid of subordinate of the
brutal and cruel keeper, Simon, as
the poor wasted boy seemed near to
death, and had him removed, and
another dying youth put in his place.
1t is on record that some persons
who saw the corpse Of the substitute
remarked that he seemed larger and
older than the Dauphin could have
bee;. The Dauphin. almost insen-
si5le, was put N charge of gentle
man named Boulanger, who took him
to the United States and placed him
in the family Of missionary among
the Indians near Green Bay. This
family consisted Of the Rev. Mr.. vii.
liams, with his half.Indian wife and
several children. It is claimed by
Mr.. Hanson that the family record
Of Mr.. Williams does not contain the
name of Eliazer as his child, and
that there was no place between his
other children where boy of his age
could have been born. The proofs OF
all these facts are minutely recorded
by Mr.. Hanson in his book.
It seems that this poor boy came
into the family in q condition of al
most imbecility. It is said to have
been a sudden shock which awaken
e,i his dormant intelligence. He fell
from a high cliff into the lake and
was with difficulty rescued. From
that time, as he himself states-and
the family Of which be WAS part
confirms the statement-his mind
took q sudden start aud his health
improved. lie then began to have
vague memories Of splendid scenes
and Of q beautiful lady by the side
Of whom he would often sit and
against whose soft dresses he de-
lighted to laT his head. But, as he
said 10 my wife in describing these
reyeries, he often could not tell
whether they we're dreams or mem
ories. But no intimations came to
him in his earlier years, or to the
family in which he lived, of what had
been his previous history and con
| r. y e